kdm crash due to corrupted ~/.face.icon file

It also fails on kde 3.5.2.

Here's an ubuntuforums.org thread about this issue: http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=896446

Reporter says it happened after a power outage which seems to support my guess that it's caused by unclean KDE shutdown.

Any ideas of where to look (apart from /var/log/messages, /var/log/dmesg, /var/log/kdm.log.0) for signs of problems are welcome.

/var/log/syslog has something:

Apr 7 10:23:16 feyn kdm_greet[6674]: Can't open default user face
Apr 7 10:23:27 feyn kdm_greet[6674]: Internal error: memory corruption detected

Just adding a "me too" using the latest Kubuntu Dapper packages. Will go check logs now.

Yes, I have the exact same message as above about the default user face in my syslog. Does that mean it can't find my fonts or what?

Sorry for posting so many times, but I solved this by deleting the .face.icon file in my home directory... I guess this is the "user picture" that somehow got corrupted.

I didn't have .face.icon in my home directory but I changed the user picture in KControl.

Ta-da, KDM works!

 made an upgrade from breezy to dapper and since then KDE freezes. It's also impossible to change to konsole with Strg+Alt+F1.

var/log/syslog says after hardreset:

Jun 4 16:20:41 localhost kdm_greet[5332]: Internal error: memory corruption detected

I tried to change user picture, to change the KDM login theme and some other features. Without success. It happens from time to time again.

I read some similar bugs, but I cannot find any /.face.icon file.

Thanks in advance for any hint

Same problems as above. Upgraded from Kubuntu 5.10 to 6.06 (64 bit).
Generally runs and boots fine. During boot up kdm randomly dumps out to a console login (tested at about once in 4 - 5 reboots in succession).
Xlog files looked normal. Found 'kdm_greet' messages (as above) in syslog.
Didn't have a ~/.face.icon file, but added one anyway with System Settings panel, and all seems to be well.

Added bonus is that it fixed another bug too: Previously choosing 'K' -> 'Logout' -> 'End current session' dumped me into a console login (kdm failed). Now it appears to work.

I spoke too soon. Bug has returned (the joy of intermittent bugs).

Message in syslog (cut and pasted from above comment because it's the same)
'kdm_greet[5332]: Internal error: memory corruption detected'

No messages about ~/.face.icon file.

Going into 'K' -> 'System settings' -> 'Login Manager' -> 'Users' (Tab) and deselecting 'Users - Show list' tick box didn't have any positive affect on the bug.

News: I found in syslog the message 'kdm_greet [] Internal error: memory corruption detected' without a following system freeze. Anyway, the system freezes sometimes ... when KDE is started. :-(
Fluxbox is working fine.

I probably found my solution: I turned off composite

Section "Extensions"
     Option "Composite" "Enabled"
EndSection

in xorg.conf and generated new one with dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

Since then no freezing again. :-)

News: I found in syslog the message 'kdm_greet [] Internal error: memory corruption detected' without a following system freeze. Anyway, the system freezes sometimes ... when KDE is started. :-(
Fluxbox is working fine.

I've upgrated Kde 3.5.2 to kde 3.5.3

So The message in syslog disapear and kdm doesn't crash anymore.

tu upgrade, juts put these lines in "/etc/apt/sources.list":

          deb http://kubuntu.org/packages/kde-353 dapper main

Fixed in 3.5.3